Durham, NC, only has a few schools in the area. However, that short list still includes some well-known universities, along with a community college. The following data on these schools is based on statistics from the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES).
Closest Schools to Durham, NC
The closest schools to Durham are mostly 4-year public and private non-profit institutions. These schools will help students achieve undergraduate and graduate degrees.
- Duke University (located in downtown Durham)
- North Carolina Central University (3.2 miles from downtown Durham)
- Durham Technical Community College (3.7 miles from downtown Durham)
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (9.3 miles away in Chapel Hill)
- North Carolina State University (17.1 miles away in Raleigh)
Largest Schools Near Durham, NC
The largest universities and colleges near Durham, North Carolina, are mostly 4-year public schools. Some of the largest student populations at those institutions, as of fall 2015, had more than 29,000 students.
- North Carolina State University (34,015 students)
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (29,084 students)
- Wake Technical Community College (21,003 students)
- Duke University (15,984 students)
- North Carolina Central University (8,011 students)
Find schools that offer these popular programs
- Agriculture
- Architecture
- Biological and Biomedical Sciences
- Business
- Communications and Journalism
- Computer Sciences
- Culinary Arts and Personal Services
- Education
- Engineering
- Legal
- Liberal Arts and Humanities
- Mechanic and Repair Technologies
- Medical and Health Professions
- Physical Sciences
- Psychology
- Transportation and Distribution
- Visual and Performing Arts
Lowest Net Price
When considering which college or university to attend, it's important to take an institution's net price into consideration, since this figure could determine the amount of debt students incur during their studies. The average net price calculated by NCES is the total cost of tuition, fees, living expenses, and supplies for first-year in-state students less the average amount of financial aid they receive. The net prices for Durham area institutions ranged from around $6,000 to $15,000. The following colleges and universities had the lowest net prices among the area's traditional colleges and universities for the 2014-2015 academic year, per NCES figures for full-time undergraduates.
- Durham Technical Community College ($6,630)
- Wake Technical Community College ($9,094)
- North Carolina Central University ($9,793)
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ($10,785)
- North Carolina State University ($13,575)
Highest Graduation Rate
Another factor students might want to consider when choosing a school is its overall graduation rate or the percentage of first-time undergraduates who completed their programs within 150% of normal time. At 4-year schools, this is an indication of how many students finished bachelor's degree programs in six years. The graduation rates for Durham area institutions vary widely, with nationally ranked universities reporting significantly higher graduation rates than some of the other specialty and technical schools. Of the Durham area's traditional public and private not-for-profit colleges and universities, the following schools had the highest graduation rates for those who entered into their 4-year programs in 2009.
- Duke University (95% graduation rate)
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (90% graduation rate)
- North Carolina State University (75% graduation rate)
- Meredith College (62% graduation rate)
- William Peace University (43% graduation rate)
The schools in and around Durham, North Carolina, are public and private non-profit institutions and differ in terms of net costs, size, graduation rates, and proximity to the city.
